Thursday, February 24, 2011

I think this is the second recipe on my blog that involves aubergines. In five years plus of blogging, only the second recipe. There is a very good reason for this – I hate aubergines. Pete likes them, though, and occasionally guilt overcomes loathing and I make something specially for him, with the purple horrors as the star ingredient. (The guilt has to build up slowly over the years, as there is an awful lot of loathing to overcome.)
Anyway, this is very definitely an aubergine lover’s dream dish. It’s supposed to be served as a side with grilled lamb chops, but if you’re vegetarian, feel free to dive right in. It’s a pretty dry dish – it might even do well as part of a tapas spread, come to think of it. The onion base tastes absolutely delicious with the garlic and balsamic vinegar and pine nuts, and I am going to make the dish again, at some point, with bell peppers - although I’d probably leave out the raisins. Should do very nicely over spiced couscous, methinks...

1. Heat 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil in a large pan and add the garlic and onion. 2. Cook for about 5 minutes over a medium heat, until soft and just starting to brown. Remove from the pan and reserve.3. Turn up the heat a bit, add the remaining olive oil to the pan. Add the cumin seeds. 4. Now add the aubergine and fry it, stirring often, for 7-8 minutes, until the aubergine is soft and starting to brown. 5. Sprinkle in the raisins and pine nuts and stir it all together.6. Throw in the reserved onion and garlic, plus the halved plum tomatoes and the ovendried/sundried tomatoes. 7. Cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes begin to soften. 8. Sprinkle 2 tsp caster sugar and 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar, 2 tbsp white wine vinegar over the aubergine. Stir together until well combined. Add salt to taste, check for seasoning, then remove from the heat.9. Serve warm with couscous, or at room temperature as a snack.Garnish with a few mint leaves sliced into strips.

1. Heat 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil in a large pan and add the garlic and onion. 2. Cook for about 5 minutes over a medium heat, until soft and just starting to brown. Remove from the pan and reserve.3. Turn up the heat a bit, add the remaining olive oil to the pan. Add the cumin seeds. 4. Now add the aubergine and fry it, stirring often, for 7-8 minutes, until the aubergine is soft and starting to brown. 5. Sprinkle in the raisins and pine nuts and stir it all together.6. Throw in the reserved onion and garlic, plus the halved plum tomatoes and the ovendried/sundried tomatoes. 7. Cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes begin to soften. 8. Sprinkle 2 tsp caster sugar and 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar, 2 tbsp white wine vinegar over the aubergine. Stir together until well combined. Add salt to taste, check for seasoning, then remove from the heat.9. Serve warm, stirred into couscous, or at room temperature as a salad. Garnish with a few mint leaves sliced into strips.

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

I usually opt for the simplest cake recipes, as I’ve said before (often) (TOO often, sigh regular readers – and if you’re not sighing, regular readers, you should be). The simpler, the better. My most favourite cake recipes are one-bowl affairs where fussy sifting and beating and careful folding and so on do not figure in the instructions.

But this time, in a dramatic departure from my usual modus operandi, the recipe involves fussy separating, AND beating, AND sifting, AND careful folding AND plenty of elbow grease. Sounds disgusting, doesn’t it, especially the elbow grease? If you usually make use of an electric egg beater, you can safely omit the elbow grease, but the rest of the dramatic departure method still holds good. Don’t say you haven’t been warned. And don't ask why I went for the dramatic departure. I still can't believe I chose a recipe where I had to whip the egg whites by hand...

Anyway, after seeing the finished cake, I thought that the procedure had been fussy for no real reason… but on reflection (and after tasting), I think it resulted in a lighter, fluffier, higher rising cake – especially considering that the cake tin I’d used had seemed a bit too big for the amount of batter involved.
And what a delicious cake it was, too.

2. Beat egg whites until it forms soft peaks.Beat in 1/4 cup of sugar. 3. In another bowl, cream margarine/butter. Add salt, vanilla, and remaining sugar gradually. 4. Add egg yolks and beat until creamy. 5. Mix flour with baking powder.Add alternately to creamed mixture with milk. 6. Fold in beaten egg whites. 7. Turn out half the batter into an 8" round pan that has been sprayed with Pam. 8. Coat the blueberries with 1 tablespoon of flour, then add half of the berries to the batter in the pan, as far as possible spacing them out evenly without letting them touch the edges of the pan. 9. Pour in the remaining batter over the berries, then sprinkle the rest of the berries over the top. 10. Sprinkle cinnamon sugar over the top of the batter. Bake in the oven for about an hour or so, or till a cake tester inserted in the centre comes out clean.11. Let the cake remain in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove to a wire rack. Serve warm with a cup of coffee or tea.

Method:1. Preheat oven to 180C.2. Beat egg whites until it forms soft peaks. Beat in 1/4 cup of sugar. 3. In another bowl, cream margarine/butter. Add salt, vanilla, andremaining sugar gradually. 4. Add egg yolks and beat until creamy. 5. Mix flour with baking powder. Add alternately to creamed mixture with milk. 6. Fold in beaten egg whites. 7. Turn out half the batter into an 8" round pan that has been sprayed with Pam. 8. Coat the blueberries with 1 tablespoon of flour, then add half of the berries to the batter in the pan, as far as possible spacing them out evenly without letting them touch the edges of the pan. 9. Pour in the remaining batter over the berries, then sprinkle the rest of the berries over the top. 10. Sprinkle cinnamon sugar over the top of the batter. Bake in the oven for about an hour or so, or till a cake tester inserted in the centre comes out clean. 11. Let the cake remain in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove to a wire rack. Serve warm with a cup of coffee or tea.

Monday, February 07, 2011

“Perfectly ripe nectarines – ready to eat now” is what the label on the package said. HA! The nectarines were anything but perfectly ripe… and unless you like your tongue twisting itself into a knot while your eyes do the Lalita Pawar squint, they most certainly were NOT ready to eat “now” or any time in the near future. Man, were they sour or what!

So there were these four nectarines taking up valuable fridge space and not getting any riper for being in there… and I had to do something with them before I forgot about them. Naturally, the first thing that came to mind was “CAKE”. To my husband’s mind, that is, not mine.

To add to the nutrition quota of fresh fruit cake (and thereby pay lip service to the "healthy" aspect), I threw in a cupful of blueberries left over from a previous muffin making day.

I have only one thing to say about the cake – actually, it’s Pete’s thing I’m going to say because I don’t want to sound like I’m praising my own effort – “It’s sensational”.

I think that about covers my opinion, too.

Recipe for:Blueberry nectarine cakeIngredients:1 cup butter/margarine, softened1 cup sugar3 large eggs1/3 cup cream/milk1-1/2 tsp vanilla extract2 cups all-purpose flour4 tbsp flaked almonds1-1/2 tsp baking powder1/4 tsp salt1 cup fresh blueberries2 large nectarines, choppedMethod: 1. Beat butter/margarine until creamy. Gradually add sugar, beating until light and fluffy. 2. Add eggs, one at a time, beating just until the yolk disappears.3. Add vanilla, beating just until blended.4. Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture, stirring well. 5. Add cream/milk and stir it in, then beat the batter fo 2 minutes till well blended. The batter will be fairly thick. 6. Gently fold in nectarines and blueberries. Pour batter into a deep 8" round cake pan. 7. Sprinkle the flaked almonds evenly over the top, then press them in lightly. Not ALL the way in, but just enough that the batter rises over the edges when the cake is in the oven. 8. Bake at 180°C for 40 minutes or so, until a wooden pick inserted in centre comes out clean. Cool the cake in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn it out onto a wire rack. Serve warm. For a decadent option, serve warm with vanilla-flavoured double cream. Note: For the best taste, warm every subsequent cake slice for 20-30 seconds in the microwave before serving.

RECIPE: BLUEBERRY NECTARINE CAKE

Ingredients:1 cup butter/margarine, softened1 cup sugar3 large eggs1/3 cup cream/milk1-1/2 tsp vanilla extract2 cups all-purpose flour4 tbsp flaked almonds1-1/2 tsp baking powder1/4 tsp salt2 large nectarines, chopped1 cup fresh blueberriesMethod: 1. Beat butter/margarine until creamy. Gradually add sugar, beating until light and fluffy. 2. Add eggs, one at a time, beating just until the yolk disappears.3. Add vanilla, beating just until blended.4. Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture, stirring well. 5. Add cream/milk and stir it in, then beat the batter fo 2 minutes till well blended. The batter will be fairly thick. 6. Gently fold in nectarines and blueberries. Pour batter into a deep 8" round cake pan. 7. Sprinkle the flaked almonds evenly over the top, then press them in lightly. Not ALL the way in, but just enough that the batter rises over the edges when the cake is in the oven. 8. Bake at 180°C for 40 minutes or so, until a wooden pick inserted in centre comes out clean. Cool the cake in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn it out onto a wire rack. For a decadent option, serve warm with vanilla-flavoured double cream. Note: For the best taste, warm every cake slice for 20-30 seconds in the microwave before serving.

1. Chop the potatoes and carrot into 1cm cubes and soak in a pan of cold water for 30 minutes. Rinse well in more fresh water, drain and reserve. 2. Heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed pan or kadai/wok. Add the turmeric powder, asafoetida, cumin seeds, mustard seeds, coriander seeds and urad dal. Let the seeds splutter and turn a darker shade, and the ural dal golden. 3. Now add the drained potatoes and carrots and stir well.Add 3-4 tbsp water, close the pan and turn the heat down to medium low. Let the vegetables cook for 10-15 minutes, or till done. The potatoes should be turning a crispy brown underneath. Stir them about and turn the heat up to medium-high. 4. Let the potatoes brown some more, then add the spinach and stir well. Cover the pan again and leave it for 5 minutes or so, until the spinach is wilted and cooked. 5. Add red chilli powder and salt to taste, and stir well. Leave the pan on the stove for 3-4 minutes more,then take off the heat. Serve hot with chapaties or with rice and dal.

1. Chop the potatoes and carrot into 1cm cubes and soak in a pan of cold water for 30 minutes. Drain well and reserve. 2. Heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed pan or kadai/wok. Add the turmeric powder, asafoetida, cumin seeds, mustard seeds, coriander seeds and urad dal. Let the seeds splutter and turn a darker shade, and the ural dal golden. 3. Now add the drained potatoes and carrots and stir well. Add 3-4 tbsp water, close the pan and turn the heat down to medium low. Let the vegetables cook for 10-15 minutes, or till done. The potatoes should be turning a crispy brown underneath. Stir them about and turn the heat up to medium-high. 4. Let the potatoes brown some more, then add the spinach and stir well. Cover the pan again and leave it for 5 minutes or so, until the spinach is wilted and cooked. 5. Add red chilli powder and salt to taste, and stir well. Leave the pan on the stove for 3-4 minutes more,then take off the heat. Serve hot with chapaties or with rice and dal.